If you’re a YouTube content creator, one of your top goals is likely to rank high in search results. Achieving this goal requires a lot of hard work and attention to detail. But with so much competition, it can be difficult to stand out. One metric you should be paying close attention to is your video views. Getting more views can help you rank higher in search, which can lead to more traffic and customers for your business.
But how exactly do you get more video views? And what is the definition of a view on YouTube? In this article, we will answer these questions and more.
What Counts as a View on YouTube
In order to count as a view, a user must intentionally watch a video on YouTube for at least 30 seconds. This applies to all devices, including smartphones and desktop computers. Views are also only credited once per viewing session. This means that if you watch the same video multiple times in a row, only the first viewing will count towards your total views.
Embedded videos also only count as views if the user purposefully clicks on them to play. This excludes autoplay embed videos on websites, as well as Facebook video shares.
YouTube also has software that can detect malware – computer programs that aid in sending spam messages from your device – and spambots. If the software detects that a video is being watched from a malware-infected device or a spambot, it will remove these without your involvement to speed up and simplify the screening process. youtube views